Six Years Later, NJ Man Recovers Jet Ski Blown Away by Sandy

TOMS RIVER — When Douglas Ferrigno's home was destroyed by Superstorm Sandy, he expected to never see his jet skies again.

But last week while Ferrigno was at a Hillside firehouse, where he works as a deputy chief, he got a call that his jet ski had been found.

"I said, 'Are you kidding me?' It's six years ago!"

After he was assured by the Brick police that it was real and they'd found the craft, Ferrigno said he was even more surprised to learn that it was in good condition. Bringing it home on July 4, he said he changed the gas, the battery and the plugs and it "started right up."

Police told Ferrigno they believe the jet ski had been washed away during the storm and floated to the property in Brick, where that home had also been destroyed. When the property owner returned, the craft was found and tracked back to Ferrigno. He said it had been found a while ago, but confusion with the VIN number prevented it from being properly identified. Not only was the cover still on it, but he said the keys were still in it.

Bringing the jet ski home was made even sweeter by the fact that Ferrigno had only just moved back into his house in April, after several years of initial repairs followed by a building elevation.

"I guess the moral of the story here is that people went through so much devastation. My house, all my neighbors, all the people down in that Jersey shore area," he said. "There's a glimmer of hope for people who lost something. It just gives you a a sense of closure now that people can move on. They may find their stuff. I waited six years to find this."